Courage To Grow
by PleaseSmile
Summary: Demons used to roam freely among the humans, but there came a time when a line was etched as a hypothetical truce. A majority of demons stayed in their world, named by humans as Hell. Corhana, a demon spy, travels to the human realm on an obviously secret mission.
1. Act I

Human, as in living

An Afterlife, such as Soul Society

The Hollow grounds, like Hueco Mundo

Last but never mentioned

_Hell_

A place full of demons and their magic

* * *

**Act I: **_Scene One_

Three bald heads reflected the moon as it streamed through the leaves from the inky sky. Their white robes made them glow in the shadows of the thick trees. The three men stood side by side with their hands spread outward. Their eyes squinted in concentration as their mouths moved in unison, casting the same spell. Their words rhymed and described their intentions. One man stopped whispering and glanced at the individual that stood meters away from him. A woman stood in front of the three, both hands positioned on either side of her waist. Dark eyebrows arched at the bald man, then straitened above black eyes. No breeze shifted her green hair. The man focused his attention again to the magic in front of him. The three all raised their heads higher as the space in front of their hands tore apart to reveal another world. The window hung in mid-air, wrapped around a landscape filled by hills and invasive roads. The robed men stepped away from each other and stretched their arms. The window heaved and expanded to reach four arm lengths. The woman dropped her arms and pulled at her brown jacket, she then stepped forward to the opening.

The bald men started to sweat in their white clothes even more as they kept the window open by sheer will. The female stepped through the window and disappeared into the new landscape. The men gave a collective sigh and let the tear in front of them fade away. They lowered their arms to their sides and turned around and walked downhill. A few minutes' walk found them stepping out of the tree line onto a meadow. An entourage of odd creatures stood on the grass; the only ones who looked human were the three men exiting the trees. A black horse stood at the front of the first one line. Except this one had horns upon its head and sharp teeth. Its eyes were white and the hooves stained a deep red color. Lesser creatures stood behind it, their hind legs hunched at an angle and their white teeth gleaming in the moonlight. Their short black fur was covered in the brown skins of other creatures. Red belts hung at their waists; where silver daggers pointed to the ground at their hoofed feet. At the head of the second line stood large black wolf, its head adorned with immaculate beads and one feather hung from an ear. The creatures behind the black wolf resembled humans, except their eyes were slit and their eye teeth poked from under their top and bottom lip. These figures wore black clothes contrasted with light blue patterns. One of the bald men looked at the group of demons and nodded.

"It is done; she has passed into the human world." At the end of this announcement all the inhuman creatures turned tail or hind and trekked their way to the other side of the meadow.

The woman in question had just survived the deafening and blinding transition between dimensions. As she entered the human world she landed on a field of grass by a road with minimal traffic. The woman stood there for a moment and counted the lengthening shadows. The sun hung low in the east indicating the end of day. She turned so the sun set on her left and walked towards the road. When she reached the road she stopped to look both right and left. The road pulled further to the left and town stood a ways off to the right. One boot clad foot after another, the woman followed the road to a nearby town.

Two miles later she stood by the entry sign to the town; it was light enough to see the white characters on the green background. The woman narrowed her eyes and stepped passed the sign into town. She walked past large storage houses and two story buildings until coming upon the center of town. Shops and stores lined up to the left, and a bus station with an underground passage stood to the right. A small number of adults were milling about the stores, and a janitor was sweeping the bus station. The woman stepped up to a shop, earning her strange glances from the folks outside. She pushed aside a green strand of hair away from her face and opened the shop door. A bell chimed and a man behind a glass counter raised his head. He greeted the new customer and introduced what bakery was special that day. The woman walked up to the counter.

"I'm not interested in buying cupcakes at the moment, is there a hospital nearby?"

"Oh," exclaimed the baker. "The nearest hospital is a town over, east by train. Is someone hurt?"

The man glanced at the woman then outside the shop.

"No, I'm fine." She replied. "Is there a medical institution in this town?"

The baker sighed in relief and crossed his arms. "Well, there is the new research outpost seven blocks from here. Though the staff hasn't finished moving in their equipment, and the construction workers are still on duty. The abandoned hospital is finally being updated. If you don't mind the walk you can follow the river to find the Kurosaki clinic, just walk past the school and continue uphill."

The woman thanked the man and turned to leave. "I can call taxi if you would like?"

"No, thank you." She called over a shoulder and stepped outside.

The woman walked off the side walk by the shop and continued on the tarmac. She ignored cars passing by as she finished one block. She walked past the crowded part of town and entered the residential area. Buildings here were smaller, excluding the school complex. The sun was halfway down the sky as she came upon gates to a school. A loud bell rang in the large building, signaling the end of a school day. As she came closer students exited the school, coming out of the gates. She stopped by the side of the gate wall and took a moment to look at the growing crowds of children. Most students were wearing uniforms, with a few altering their clothes. A group of kids had started tossing a hacky sack by using their feet. A group of girls had begun discussing their school work plans for the night. The woman let herself smile and started walking again, only to bump into a female student mid step.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention!" The girls' hair fluttered as she straightened out of her apologetic bow.

The woman, still smiling, assured the youth. "You're fine, sweetie, go join your friends."

"Yeah, we're supposed to meet outside the entrance. I guess I got here before them." The young student grinned sheepishly and rubbed her neck.

The woman stared down at the girl, paying close attention to her face. Then her eyes moved the students' red hair, glancing at the hairclip holding back a small braid. The redhead blinked and went to lean against the gate.

"Are you waiting for your child?"

"No, I'm just on my way to a clinic," the older female supplied.

Before the girl could respond another student called her name from the gated entrance.

"Orihime! We agreed to regroup in the yard, not out here." The girl, Orihime, turned to look at another redhead, though this students' hair was more orange than red. This new, male student, walked up to them slouching ever so slightly.

"Sorry Ichigo, I think I was actually paying attention to the teacher today."

* * *

Welcome to a new chapter in the Bleach verse.

**Please leave a review, I would really appreciate it**.

Bleach and its fellow productions belong to Tite Kubo-san.


	2. Scene Two

Our world is many

Yet here is split by four

Human, as in living

An Afterlife, such as Soul Society

The Hollow grounds, like Hueco Mundo

Last but never mentioned

_Hell_

A place full of demons and their magic

* * *

**Act I: **_Scene Two_

"Keh," breathed the boy as he glanced at the only adult near them.

"Uh, I bumped into this lady here on my way out," Orihime turned to the woman and introduced her friend. "This is my classmate Ichigo, I'm Orihime Inou. And you are…?"

The lady shifted on her feet. "My name is Corhana Mohan Callum."

Silence stretched out, even as two new students joined the group. A short girl, with her black hair and big eyes looked around at them. A tall male student with hair cast over his eyes just stood there without speaking.

"Awkward," the tall student broke the silence.

"Yeah…why is that?" the short girl asked.

"Orihime was talking to this stranger here." Ichigo pointed to the woman and everyone looked at her too.

The woman cleared her throat, "Please, don't mind me. I was just passing by."

"Didn't you say you were going to a clinic?" Orihime piped up

"Yes, I should continue looking for the place."

"Wait, Ichigo's father runs the clinic. You could follow him there."

Ichigo huffed at the redhead, "Don't behave like my sisters, inviting anyone to our house! I'm sure this lady can find her own way there."

Orihime turned to the woman, "Will you be alright, miss…Callum?"

"I'll be fine, all I have to do is follow the river. It would look strange if I shadowed all of you children."

"Who gave you those directions?" the short girl asked.

"A shop owner in the bakery."

The orange headed kid appraised his friends then turned to the woman. "You will get lost that way, you can follow me if you want."

"Are you sure?"

"My last name is Kurosaki, so yeah. The Kurosaki clinic is run by my dad."

The students moved as one and began walking up the road. The woman stepped after them, staying at the back. Orihime glanced her way a few times.

The tall kid whispered to Ichigo. "You have a bad habit of picking up strangers."

"That's an understatement," added the short girl. "And what adult has green hair?"

Ichigo shrugged with his shoulders and within his mind.

"Her reiatsu, it feels off." The tall boy added.

"It's as if there is no reiatsu, like she's not there. Except we can just see her." The short girl muttered.

As the odd group made their through the neighborhoods their numbers decreased. Orihime waved goodbye to her friends as she turned right onto a separate row of houses. The tall student continued walking on even as the two youths stopped at Ichigo's house. The woman watched the tall buy disappear then turned to watch as the orange headed teen approached the clinic. The actual clinic was built in front of the house complex, with a small board sporting the Kurosaki logo. The short female student stepped in confidently and passed through a back door. Ichigo followed his friend, and called through the back door.

"Oy, dad, you have a customer!...!" A crash echoed from behind the door then the male student came back. "Damn…."

An older man, Ichigo's dad, walked out from the back. He was wailing comically at his son.

"Can't a father greet his son when he comes home from school?! Oh why must you be so cruel to me?"

The man looked around at his clinic and spotted the older woman. He rolled his shoulders and stepped up to the woman to extend a hand.

"Ah, welcome to the Kurosaki Clinic! Where you can get all the medicinal herbs and new age products! My name is Ishin Kurosaki."

The woman wrapped her hand around his and bowed the same time he did.

"Hi, I'm Corhana Callum. Thank you for seeing me, I hope you're not too close to closing?"

"Not at all, please come this way."

Mr. Kurosaki led the woman to an antique counter and stopped in front of it instead of going behind it.

"Now, how can I help you?"

"I'm looking for a cure for…my brother, who has been sick for a while."

"Sorry to hear that, I'm not sure I can heal your brother but I could help his symptoms. What is his diagnosis and has he been assigned medication?"

The woman leaned against the counter, and looked at her reflection on the shiny glass top before answering. She proceeded to describe her brother's condition; the black stained blood, fever, muscle pain, liver damage, and finally the coma. Mr. Kurosaki did not miss that she skipped describing certain medications given to her brother.

"He's been still for a few years now, and the doctors can only make him comfortable for now." She tightened her fist at her side.

The man folded his arms and continued the conversation.

"Well, I can't introduce to you anything that will have to be ingested. But if you want to ease his discomfort you can bathe him in yarrow or rosemary."

He untangled his arms and stepped behind the counter. He approached a multi shelved wall, and brought down two herbs and bottles from their slots. He laid the herbs on the counter and pointed to the bottle next to the rosemary.

"Rosemary oil can relieve both muscle and joint pain. You could direct the nurses to use this rosemary oil as a muscle rub to help relieve his bedsores."

Next he gestured at the dried white flowers, "Yarrow could help your brother get through his fevers; this herb will open up his pores and help him sweat more."

The woman looked down at the herbs on the counter, and then looked up at Mr. Kurosaki.

"What about herbs to support liver health, peripheral circulation, and the immune system?"

"Well, assuming your brother wakes and the doctors clear him, he could ingest some milk thistle, ginkgo, echinacea, turmeric, or willow. All in diluted forms of course, they can be teas, herb baths, or in food."

The woman looked down and her eyes hardened, "He will wake up…he has to."

Mr. Kurosaki gazed at the young woman sympathetically then bundled all products he brought out.

"I can make you a list of suggested herbs for your brother for when he wakes up, but as I'm sure you know; you'll have to come back after a consult with his doctor."

The woman nodded in understanding.

He returned the herbs and oils to their shelves and returned to the counter. He grabbed a notepad and pen from next to the register and began listing herb names. He ripped the note from the pad and handed it to the woman.

"You know, now that I think about it, the way you described your brothers illness sounds much like a cross between Diphtheria and Smallpox."

The woman looked up, sighed and grabbed the note.

"Hmm, the doctors would suggest otherwise."

"How so?"

"Well, it's not an illness they're familiar with."

"So sorry to hear that, how is your family handling everything?"

"They're faring well as one can expect in this situation."

The woman looked down at the note in her hand, then back up at the man.

"The medical team is working very hard, despite that I still want to help."

He glanced at a drawer beneath the register then walked over and opened it. He pulled out a small filing box and positioned it on the counter.

"Look, here's a card for a doctor I know, he's rather new to the field but has been making breakthroughs when it comes to comas. He;s found a way to stimulate the upper brain, thus restoring some mental function for a patient. This doctor could work with the current medical team to assist your brother." He passed the business card to her.

The woman grabbed the card then folded the note around it, creating a small rectangular envelope.

"His office hours don't start until next week, since he's been moved to a new facility here in Karakura."

She looked up.

"You mean the new research center?"

"Yes, but if you're planning to stick around I'm afraid this town doesn't have any hotels. Karakura is not a tourist town after all."

"I noticed."

The woman stepped away from the counter, and Mr. Kurosaki came around the counter to see her off.

"I'm sure your brother is in capable hands, and I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

"No, it's alright."

The woman exited the clinic and back onto the street, Mr. Kurosaki closed the door behind her slowly.

On her way to the side walk the woman missed a shade closing on the second level of the house. As she walked out of view two youths looked at each other in Ichigo's room.

The short girl was kneeling on the floor, having just straightened up. Ichigo stood by the window and looked down at her.

"Did you learn anything interesting listening through the floor?"

"I wasn't trying to listen through the floor!" the girl folded her arms.

"Well, Rukia, I'm gonna just go do my homework now."

He stepped over to the desk next to his futon bed.

Rukia blinked at him from across the room. "I've never seen you do homework so early."

"I'm doing this so I can finish before you drag me out Hollow hunting!"

* * *

**Please leave a review or PM me, I would really appreciate it.**

Bleach and it's fellow productions belong to Tite Kubo-san


	3. Intermission

Our world is many

Yet here is split by four

Human, as in living

An Afterlife, such as Soul Society

The Hollow grounds, like Hueco Mundo

Last but never mentioned

_Hell_

A place full of demons and their magic

* * *

At the technical part of the 12th division of Soul Society, a room stood with multi panels covered with screens and graphs. Members busy as they monitored the computers in their seats and on their feet. One officer crossed the floor in front of one screen, carrying a clipboard with filled forms. A map of Japan in red and white was posted at the top center of the screened panels. Various areas were highlighted in blue, and none flashed in warning yet. One screen mirrored a real life version of Japan, focused on a south western district. A town was highlighted in a white grid pattern, where soul reaper had been deployed recently. Miles out of town an ameba shaped blackness shuttered into existence. The officer scanned the screen for the hundredth time that day, but did not miss the anomaly on the monitor. He shifted in his seat and pressed buttons to scan the ameba stain for coordinates and spiritual composition. The results popped out as new windows on the screen and made the officer frown. He brought up the registry file of ongoing missions in the living world and scrolled through to find space coordinates matching the black blob. Having failed to locate a clue to the anomaly the officer began other scans. As those scans finished within seconds, he turned in the chair to call for another member. Having heard the call, a pacing officer stopped by the station and look down at the seat officer.

"Ma'am, an authorized portal just opened in the living world." He said

"How is it unauthorized? Let me see the scan." She said

The officer stood behind the seat and leaned over to look over the scan results.

Results reported spirit particles indicative of two worlds merging; a portal. No officer of any division was scheduled to use a portal into the living world. But the connected dimension represented by converging particles didn't register with the system.

"The other dimension is not from soul society or another afterlife."

"I see."

"I wanted to one last scan on the portal, but it closed too soon."

"Have any hollows come out of it?"

"No, but I caught traces of reiatsu levels. The spiritual energy was faint, and faded along with the portal."

"Hmm, fill a report of this and give it when you're done. I'll walk the report over to first division."

"Alright, it will be finished within a few minutes."

* * *

**Please leave a review or PM me, I would really appreciate it.**

Bleach and it's fellow productions belong to Tite Kubo-san


	4. Scene Three

Our world is many

Yet here is split by four

Human, as in living

An Afterlife, such as Soul Society

The Hollow grounds, like Hueco Mundo

Last but never mentioned

_Hell_

A place full of demons and their magic

* * *

Act I: Scene Three

Night time: the time for creepers to roam and nastiness to foam. Normal people remained inside their homes, and odd folk walked by dark allies. Of course there existed the number of adults who enjoyed the night life of Karakura town. Most if not all humans here were fortunate to be able to ignore the random Hollow.

Corhana smelled them; the Hollows lingered in the alleys and in sewers. They waited for the burning sun to vanish completely. She had made her way back into the shopping district of town and sat down in a nice enough café. Having shrugged off her bag from her shoulders Corhana folded herself on a reclining chair in a corner. She placed the bag between her legs and the armrest then pulled out a medium sized book. Skipping the contents page she flipped to the one with stranger symbols highlighted in red. The woman stared at the book for a few minutes, lost in thought. After spacing out she snapped out if it and retrieved the list of herbs procured from the clinic. She spared it only glance before shaking her head to an unheard question. Corhana inserted both the paper slip and book into her bag and stood up. She pulled the bag straps on her shoulders as she stepped towards the exit. She held open the door for another customer then walked across the street.

She turned right and continued four blocks and arrived at desolate building. The two story building was so because of the caution tapes hung around its border. Placards were erected at four corners declaring the site was off limits and only accessible to the construction crew for renovations. Everyone stayed clear of this building, less they became sick from the mold. Even youths looking for a decent wall to decorate with spray paint hadn't dared to tamper with the walls. Contractors didn't count on the rain for delaying the renovation process. Corhana stepped over the yellow caution ribbon and looked over her shoulder. No one had stopped to question her actions, and she ignored the black cat that stopped licking its paw to look up at her.

Corhana navigated the first floor, and visited every exit including her entrance. As she walked her hand raised to trace a golden wisp on the walls. She stopped by five exits and drew a square surrounded by a circle on the panels. One room showed why the building needed to be fixed; the foundation there rotted years ago and needed repairs. Having finished marking all the doors Corhana searched for the way to the second level. Finally she located the stairs and left that door untouched, and walked up to the second floor. Corhana walked past an office space and found small lounge to one side. Small round tables were placed near the entrance and one long rectangular table was pushed against one wall. She stepped past small table and approached the long table. She pulled her arms from her bag and set it on the table, then sat down facing the counter installed at the other end of the lounge. She brought out the book she read earlier and set it down, still closed with the spine facing the wall. She shifted in the seat and placed her hands besides the book, palms towards it. She counted to sixteen in her thoughts then closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. Corhana slowly peeled her eyes open and gazed down at the book. A golden light filled her orbs, and burned in the shaded room. An unseen wind frisked the book open and the pages flipped back and forth. At last, one page ceased moving and remained rigid in place. Black ink started to fill the page, covering the whole surface until it left a white sigil. Corhana leaned the page flat with one hand and with the other pulled out an electronic device from her bag. She turned the device on with one click and snapped a picture of the sigil. A dial pad appeared on the screen and she dialed the sigil using the special symbol keys. She then held the device to her ear, and waited.

The line was turned on the other side. "You have reached Otis, the demon of sin! If ye have called to bargain for a deal…hang up! I'll tell you only once, I own a freaking bar! Now scram, I'm busy!"

Corhana cleared her throat loudly. "One, I'm not a human. Two, your sigil was registered to Japan's Prefecture of Tochigi. Do you deny this information?"

"Ah, no. It's just that I'm not called often to help others."

"Good, now that you remember your place let me to introduce myself. I am Corhana Mohan Callum of the DCI: code swlA5laIgoiJHG52echanolO12uh 54."

"Wow, I haven't heard that code since 1940."

"Please answer properly."

"If you insist; this is Botis, aka Otis, your go to demon for information in this area. Please state your request?"

"Hello Otis, I'm here on a mission to gather information on the human illness equivalent to demon rethixes."

"Hmm, that sounds like an old disease. Even while training for my post here in the human world I haven't heard of it. From the little I know, it could be a disease that affected humans long ago."

"I have attempted to speak to a human, however that meeting didn't prove very useful."

"Why talk to a human and not get in touch with me first?"

"Well, the sun didn't set yet and there were some curious humans about."

"How so? Were the humans on their way to dying and becoming hollows?"

"No, their spiritual energy was odd for the average human. But enough about them, how can you help me?"

"I'm not the best demon to ask about this subject, let me call my cousin and get back to you. How long are you staying in the human world?"

"Officially I must remain here one demon month or four human weeks. Unofficially I'm allowed to spend as much time as necessary to complete this mission."

"Got it, does the sigil recognition work both ways? Or else you'll have to locate my business and see me personally at my bar."

"The system works both ways, check your device after I disconnect."

"Alright, I'll contact you in two weeks."

Corhana pulled the device away from her ear and clicked it off. With another hand she gently closed the book in front of her and placed the items in her bag. She closed it and pulled along with as she stood up from her seat. Her arm swung the bag around her shoulder and she walked out from the lounge. She walked past the elevators to the stairs, and headed to the bottom floor.

* * *

"This is a strange place for hollows to gather, don't you think?" asked Ichigo as he approached the building.

Him and Orihime had followed Rukia as she tracked hollow signals. They encountered a single hollow on the way into town, but the group of hollows crowded around one building struck them as odd.

"It wouldn't be strange if there were souls here, but I don't see any souls wandering." Rukia commented as she placed her hollow tracker back into a pocket.

"Maybe someone is hiding in that building?" Suggested Orihime "Uh, shouldn't one of us check it out? To see if there are any ghosts inside?" She pointed at the haunted building.

"I don't think so, look how the hollows are trying to get in. It's as if something is preventing them from entering the building."

"I thought hollows could go anywhere?" Ichigo folded his arms and the sword shifted on his back.

"Usually they can, but it might be that someone created a barrier." Rukia pointed out

"I thought only shinigami could cast spells." Orihime thought aloud

"True, it could be that another shinigami is here. But if that's the case, I should have sensed them entering the human world."

"Stop chatting you two, some hollows are starting to notice us." Ichigo unfolded his arms and equipped his sword.

"Orihime, you know what to do."

Ichigo and Rukia ran up to the hollows, and Orihime remained in place to activate her fairies. She touched her hair clips and spoke the commands to wake them up. Two fairies flew by each other and created a shield in front of the red head.

The hollows by now had turned to the humans and approached them with interest.

Rukia shot spells at one hollow and struck it to the ground, and then Ichigo jumped a few feet into the air to strike a final blow. The battle continued this way as more hollows noticed the activity behind them. Orihime kept her shield up and commanded her other two fairies to dice the random hollow that attacked her.

As Ichigo hacked into a hollows' neck, the sword wedged itself behind the mask and would not move. Ichigo frowned and gripped the handle with both hands to tug at the sword. He voiced his disdain as the hollow obviously died but wasn't evaporated yet. Rukia was surrounded by four hollows and attacking them simultaneously.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado number thirty one; ShakkahōI"

Orihime wasn't dealing with many hollows since they couldn't directly attack her. After one bumped into on her shield only to injure itself she looked up to see another hollow sneak up on Ichigo.

"Ichigo, look behind you!" Orihime yelled

His sword still stuck in the decaying hollow, Ichigo heard his friend yell and turned his head. The hollow behind him opened its jaws and lunged forward. Ichigo curled his back to avoid the attack and raised one are to defend his head. When he didn't feel the hollows teeth he glanced from his arm to stare at the stiff hollow. The hollows' mouth was inches away from him face, it shivered once then exploded silently into tiny golden pieces. As hollow remains rained down like snow, Ichigo could see a figure through the mess. The fighting paused for seconds as a new person joined the party. The hollows that remained sniffed the air, and looked around at each other. One of the bigger hollow bravely stepped forward; as if to prove to its fellows that this individual shouldn't be feared, and roared in challenge. The person raised one hand to their eyes, and their mouth twitched into a frown.

Rukia still raised her hands in the spell casting position, and glanced briefly at the distracted hollows.

Ichigo finally lifted his sword and stood behind the stranger.

"Thanks lady, but you do know that you're still gonna have to explain why we are seeing you twice now." He pointed out to the green haired adult.

"Corhana, was it? Why are you here?" Rukia asked

The woman didn't answer immediately because the larger hollow had crouched down in preparation for an attack.

Corhana too walked forward, her narrowed eyes added to her frown. The hollow jumped ahead with claws and teeth bared. It extended one arm at the woman and swiped – only to miss. The woman next appeared standing on the hollows' head, hands extended to its mask. The hollow blinked once then attempted to shake her off. The woman remained atop the hollow and gripped its head then neck with force. It cried in pain as her eyes glowed like star fire. Gold fire spread like smoke from her fingers to stain the hollows' exoskeleton. The hollow writhed before disintegrating to golden ash. Corhana stood in the ash pile kicked it from her feet. She gazed around at the remaining hollows and walked closer to where Rukia stood. The older woman looked down at her.

"Why are you just using spells, where is your sword shinigami?"

* * *

**Please leave a review or PM me, I would really appreciate it.**

Bleach and it's fellow productions belong to Tite Kubo-san


	5. Scene Four

Our world is many

Yet here is split by four

Human, as in living

An Afterlife, such as Soul Society

The Hollow grounds, like Hueco Mundo

Last but never mentioned

_Hell_

A place full of demons and their magic

* * *

Act I: _Scene Four_

The green haired woman stood next to Ichigo, rubbing at her eyes with four fingers. She then stepped over to Rukia's side of the pavement, and looked down at the girl. Rukia propped her hands on her hips.

"My sword is resting."

"Why would you let it rest?" Corhana dropped her hand from her face.

Rukia peeked at Ichigo then answered. "I decided I need a break from using zanjutsu."

"Even these hollows don't believe you." She gestured at the eight pigmy hollows closing in. Two hollows tripped over Orihimes' shield, and then were instantly diced after. Three hollows lunged at Ichigo and the rest at Rukia, though they diverted their path away from Corhana. She stood beside Rukia and attacked the hollow that dared come her way.

As no more hollows appeared out of the brickwork Orihime let her shield fade and held her palms out for her fairies to return. Ichigo secured his sword on his back and Rukia rolled her shoulders. All hollows defeated, the four fighters regrouped by the side of the renovated building.

Rukia stood ahead of the red-headed kids, and stared expectantly at Corhana.

"What were you doing in that building to attract so many hollows? Who are you and where did you come from?"

"First, you know my name, and second I'm here on a business trip. I recently got in touch with a…friend by magic; I did seal the building against intruders. I'm aware that my magic can attract hollows, though I didn't know so many would show up."

Rukia narrowed her eyes with suspicion and Corhana replied by adding.

"Don't worry; I would have destroyed them if you hadn't showed up."

"Your powers look pretty cool too." Orihime commented.

"You didn't tell us where you're from; you're not from Soul Society are you?" Rukia looked the woman up and down, looking for a concealed weapon or device originating from that afterlife.

"Of course not, I travelled here from out of town, to be more specific - out of country."

"Wow," Ichigo said.

"You must have strong spiritual energy to see hollows, have you noticed them all your life?" Orihime asked.

"I was aware they existed, but didn't see them that often. Where I live, there's a small chance of seeing hollows in particular."

Orihime turned away to pat her hair, which had become frizzed during the battle.

"How did you know I was a shinigami, and where did you learn demon magic?"

Corhana glanced between the two.

"I can sense the difference in spirit energy, and I was born with it."

"No one taught you spells?" Rukia asked.

The woman shook her head.

"That's impressive, what else can you do besides turning hollows to gold?" Ichigo added.

"That's not what happened, you see that pile." She pointed to the gold like ash on the ground. "We're all made of basic spirit particles; I just divided the hollows to basic atoms."

"Why did your eyes glow like they did, and why are you still rubbing at them?"

Corhana dropped her hand from her eyes, as if caught doing something wrong, and looked down at her hand.

"Well, my eyes become irritated after I activate my powers, and it takes a few minutes for them to feel normal."

"You should rinse them with water then," Orihime said as she reattached one clip to her hair.

"Thanks, Orihime, I'll do that when I get the chance."

"Speaking of chances, we should return home, I'm worried about my flowering plant. I may have left it out too long outside my window!"

"What kind of plant did you buy this time?" Ichigo asked

"A cactus."

"We'll stop by your plant soon, but before that we should check the neighborhood behind yours Orihime." Rukia brought out the small device from a pocket and flipped it open.

Corhana looked down at Rukia, "This is how you track hollows?"

"Yeah, only for local areas though. Most of the time reports from soul society come about activity in certain areas."

"Interesting, so you three do this 'search and destroy' every night?"

"Sometimes, but who else would slay hollows?" Ichigo answered.

"Speaking of hollows, we should start moving." Rukia spoke

"Yeah, I agree. And I really want to check my cactus." Orihime interjected

Ichigo nodded his agreement and began the walk up the street. Orihime waived at Corhana and followed her friend.

The kids retreated into town, the night covering their disappearing steps. Corhana looked after them, and blinked her eyes. Her eyes stopped glowing and returned to their normal black color.

Corhana walked back to the front of the abandoned structure and replaced her pack from the ground onto her shoulders. She had dropped it upon seeing the kids battle hollows outside. She raised her face to the air and sniffed, and searched for a particular scent. Having found it, she stepped in a random direction and edged towards the center of town. She made her way into the shopping area again, and closed her eyes to inhale deeply. A whiff of a creature drifted out of the train station, and Corhana walked to the stairs leading down. She opened her eyes to see a small, new born hollow crawl up the steps. It was the size of a watermelon, round but grey. Corhana swept her tongue over her bottom lip, and sneered at the hollow.

"You won't appetite me much, but for a snack you'll do." She said to it and crouched down to grab it.

The hollow, in imitation when it was alive, reached its arms up to her, not knowing it was about to be eaten. Corhana held it close to her face, and opened her mouth beyond the width of a humans' and bit the head off. She chewed once and swallowed, then ate the rest of the body. A few spirit particles escaped her mouth as she wiped them with one hand.

Corhana left the station and stood by the road. She waited for the one car to pass then crossed the street to the mall. She went around the leftmost building and around to the back. Behind the modern shopping center four aging stores stood in a line. The store nearest her had a clean sign on its door, while another sign advertised business hours. The first scent she noticed came from this place, and Corhana tilted her head at the shop. She swept her gaze around, looking for a plant. Spotting a tree she stepped over to it and deposited her bag next to it. Corhana reached one hand out and pressed it to the trunk, half of the bark peeled down. She spoke to the tree using an odd speech, and thanked it aloud. She grabbed one strap of her bag and hanged it on a high branch; it was hidden from view by other branches. She laid both hands on the trunk and stepped into the tree, possessing it. The branches shivered once before becoming still. Corhana camped within the tree during the night, occasionally staring at the closed shop.

A chill hung in the air as light began to crawl over the horizon. The rays of light stretched thin fingers to brush away the night's darkness. They were strong as they touched the thick walls of the stores in front of the tree. The tree shared soil space with only a few weeds, while grass dared to grow near the trash tank on the other side of the alley.

Hours passed before the sun had risen mid way into the sky. Two young children entered the back alley and stepped up to one store. The young girl with black pig tails produced a key from her pocket and went to unlock the front door. The auburn haired boy stood behind her and waited, then perked his around towards the tree. He walked up to it and looked up at, seeing a shoulder bag hanging on a tree made him scrunch his face in bewilderment. He took four steps back and jumped at the high branch, and having grabbed the bag he walked back to the now open shop door. The boy entered the shop and closed the door behind him.

Corhana stretched out of the tree trunk, shoulder first then the rest of her body. She looked from the tree to the store and shook her head. She stepped up to the entrance and glanced at the signs posted; she ignored the written characters and studied the numbers displayed. Corhana looked at the position of the sun to estimate the time before the store opened, then walked around the aged shops to the front. She passed the cupcake shop and entered the café she sat in before. She sat in a comfy chair and slipped a book out of a stand by the low table. It was a picture book for children; there were no words or numbers. There she sat for an hour, pretending to read. After that hour she returned the book to its stand and exited the café. She passed the corner leading to the back stores and stepped up to the shop she had studied earlier that morning. Corhana pulled on the handled of the wooden door and entered to see a number of rows and shelves holding colorful items. She approached the counter next to a shelf sporting an assortment of plant shaped candies, and then cleared her throat audibly. A broad shouldered man raised himself from his stool, and stepped up to greet her.

"Good morning, how can I help you today."

"I passed here last night, you see, and lost my bag in the area. Have you seen it? It has two straps and is gold shaded."

"Hmm, I might have seen my young friend come in with a bag like that. I'll be right back."

The man left the counter and walked towards the back of the shop. He called out and the auburn haired boy answered, holding a broom with one hand. The boy looked up as the man asked him to retrieve the bag he found that morning. The boy nodded and propped broom handle by the wall to bring out the lost item. The two males returned to the counter before Corhana, and the younger child held out the bag to her.

"Is this your bag?"

"Yes, it is." Corhana smiled down at him and took the bag by the straps. "Thank you for finding it."

The boy propped his hands on his small hips, "someone hanged it the tree outside, very odd if you ask me." He added

"I suppose," Corhana said

The boy turned around and picked up the broom and went back to his sweeping.

Corhana looked to the man and asked, "I don't mean to pry but, has anyone baked anything in here? I just couldn't help smelling something good when I walked in."

She glanced towards the back of the store, and inhaled the smell of souls unknowingly coming from the storage room.

"I might occasionally make snacks in the back, but not this week."

Corhana hummed to herself then bowed her head slightly at the man.

"Thank you for helping me."

The man nodded back at her as she turned to leave, only to see Rukia step in.

The short girl spotted Corhana and pointed in her direction.

"Why are you here?"

"I lost my bag, and the little boy found it." Corhana raised her bag for Rukia to see.

* * *

**Please leave a review or PM me, I would really appreciate it.**

Bleach and it's fellow productions belong to Tite Kubo-san.


	6. Scene Five

Our world is many

Yet here is split by four

Human, as in living

An Afterlife, such as Soul Society

The Hollow grounds, like Hueco Mundo

Last but never mentioned

_Hell_

A place full of demons and their magic

* * *

**Act I:** _Scene Five_

Rukia arched one brow at the taller woman. "I see."

Rukia passed Corhana to the counter, and leaned closer to the man. "Tell Urahara I'm definitely going back _there _soon." She whispered, then glanced at Corhana.

The man shrugged once and replied, "I'll notify the boss-man when he returns, he's out taking a stroll in the park."

"Thank you Tessai, for everything."

"Of course miss Rukia, take care of yourself now."

"I will," Rukia gave Corhana one last look before turning around to exit.

Corhana followed her out the door, and called out to the short shinigami.

The girl gained a few feet before she turned around. The woman caught up to her and looked down at Rukia.

"Good morning, soul reaper Rukia."

"Yes it is," Rukia swept her eyes over Corhana then gazed off into space. Without warning she continued walking around the shops. The woman followed after, keeping easy pace with the young girl.

"So, from what I heard inside…you're planning to return to the afterlife?"

The two females walked side by side, as the towns' people went about their business. There was a minimal flow of passengers exiting the train station. A tour bus was parked a few blocks away, and the foreign passengers were seated in the café – taking a break from their Japanese expedition.

"I've been here too long." Rukia answered with a distant tone in her voice. "I would appreciate it if you didn't stalk my fre…those humans. Like you're following me now. Don't you have business to attend to?"

"Not yet, I have a little waiting to do. I'm just bored now, and watching you is interesting."

Rukia approached a building, and jumped up to its fire-escape rail. She proceeded to climb the metal stairs to the roof. Corhana looked right then left, before she too ascended by the same path.

"I must say though," Corhana watched as Rukia approach a door towards the center of the roof. "I can't help wondering how you lost your powers."

The young girl looked back at Corhana then opened the door to reveal a lone storage access. The floor had been sealed off, and another roof access had been built a roof over.

"I didn't lose my powers; they're just not…there at the moment." Rukia replied before she leaned one shoulder into the space, her body falling after.

Except the girl remained upright, while the fake image of her lay motionless in the shade. She now appeared wearing her traditional clothes, befitting her job as a soul reaper. Rukia righted her posture and turned around to the green haired woman.

"I'm going to scan the area with this," Rukia pointed at the monitor now in her hand. "and you can follow me as I exterminate more hollows."

Corhana shrugged her shoulders, "well since I have nothing better to other than to stand around waiting, I might as well come with you."

Rukia nodded then took a leap off the roof onto the street; Corhana came down after.

"How do you know where hollows are going to show up?"

"This device detects their entrance into the human world and tells me where I need to be."

The two walked around a corner, then down a few blocks past shopping area. Rukia stepped ahead of the older woman, but Corhana had no problem staying behind.

They traced many streets, and spent seven hours picking off small numbers of hollows. The climbed high into the sky, and was about to dive into afternoon when without warning Rukia's device beeped at her in quick succession. The two stopped moving as Rukia looked down at it, and there she saw many lighted dots converging in one area. Corhana looked over her shoulder then back into the girls face.

"It appears many hollows are being attracted to one location. I think we head towards the park." Rukia declared.

Corhana followed Rukia as they picked up the pace and ran towards the hollow activity.

On their way past the park entrance they met an oddly flirtatious Ichigo. After Rukia yelled at him to get into shinigami mode she realized it wasn't in fact the real Ichigo. The party of three walked into the park, hollows becoming more persistent. A willowy boy with straight hair and glasses appeared behind them, and explained to Rukia the situation.

"I was the one who installed the hollow bait, though I didn't expect so many to appear. That doesn't mean I want innocent people to get hurt." As proof of his words he fired a blue arrow at a small hollow that snuck up on the group.

As no more hollows interrupted their path, the group of now four stepped further into the park.

Suddenly a hollow jumped out form a tree in front of the boy with glasses. The young student prepared to fire another magical arrow but the real Ichigo, now wearing all black, jumped in with sword swing. The two boys smirked at each other in greeting, exchanged a few words before focusing their attention to the gathering hollow mass. Rukia pulled the fake Ichigo by the arm towards the tree line, and Corhana followed at a slower pace. The human version of the redhead pointed to the sky, and all three shifted their eyes to see the widening black hole contrasting against the blue.

The boy with glasses fired arrow after light blue arrow. He looked to Ichigo, who was hacking and dicing at hollows with vigor. The two seemed to be competing in the hollow extermination.

The human redhead kept looking back and forth between the two fighters and the surrounding hollows. Rukia stared at the widening hole in the sky and began explaining the difference in between shinigami and quincy. Minutes passed and another group of individuals joined the spectators watching the fight. The broad shouldered man from the store, with his dark skin color. Two small children stepped behind him, a girl carried a huge canon and the boy held a large bat. Behind the kids strode in a man wearing a green cloak and sporting a striped hat. The hat man walked over to Rukia and spoke with her a few seconds. He then instructed his little band of people to stand at the perimeter of the park.

Corhana watched new group join them, and recognized the kid from the store. She looked over at the man with the striped hat, and sandals on his feet. He and the taller man smelled not from this living world, in fact they smelled as if they came from an afterlife.

From his blonde hair and shaded eyes, slack posture and sandal clad feet, he smelled wrong for this world. The man felt her stare, like that of predator, and shifted his eyes in her direction. He took a moment to study her, and then decided to grin broadly.

"Excuse me, but, are you another one of Rukia's friends? I don't believe we've met."

"I'm not her friend exactly, we just met one evening."

"Is that so? Well, you don't seem very concerned about this situation. It's quite fine you know, for a grown woman to show fear."

"I can assure you, sir, I'm not concerned for my safety. But those kids, I wonder how long they can last against so many enemies."

"I don't think we need to worry about them, they are after all doing fine on their own."

Rukia turned to the conversation and gave the man a sour look. He raised his hands in defense. "Don't worry; my lovely employers are here to help!" With that exclamation the two children and the dark skinned man began picking off their own hollow.

The two adults paused as the skinny boy pointed to the hole and said, "What is that?"

The striped hat man shouted at his 'employers' to fight harder. They fought off the smaller and lesser hollow, as Ichigo stopped by Rukia.

Rukia described the large creature dropping from the black hole. "That is a gigantic Hollow said to be born when hundreds of Hollows pile atop each other and join. We call it a Menos Grande."

Ichigo glanced at the huge hollow and ran over to fight where its legs landed. Rukia started to go after him, with the intention of stopping him. But suddenly a line of light flashed towards her and tripped her into a seated position. The striped hat man held out a glowing finger at the short girl, then turned his head towards the green haired woman. She gave him a bent eyebrow look, but he just shrugged and walked over to the frozen Rukia.

"This fight is necessary for both of you, it's about time that boy realized his potential."

Having failed to chop its legs off, Ichigo argued with his fellow combatants then prepared to strike again. The Menos charged a soon to be massive attack, and everyone watched on in anticipation. The shop staff was expectant as the hat man waited patiently. Rukia gazed in horror, unconfident with what she was seeing. Just before the attack was fired, Corhana stepped back from the gazers and parted her lips. The hollow fired its attack and red orb of energy sped towards Ichigo. In the moment more of his energy unleashed as Ichigo held off against the offense.

Ichigo grunted in effort and crouched low to the ground, then with a shout deflected energy back to the Menos. The energy directed back at it hurt the hollow, a lot, so much that it shrieked in defeat before it retreated into the black hole. All the hollows followed after it, and the hole decreased to a grey crack, then faded altogether. As the sky returned to its original blue, Ichigo stared at his hands in shock. His spiritual energy overflowed, and was leaking far too fast out of his body. He couldn't control it, and dropped his sword to the ground.

As his energy rocketed out of control, the skinny boy with glasses stepped forwards to assist him. He kept borrowing the redhead's spiritual energy and released it by firing off his blue arrows. The young student kept firing off the energy, not stopping even as fingers bled and peeled.

The striped hat man watched the two young boys as they finally both collapsed from exhaustion. He clapped once as he whispered a release command to the binding on Rukia then walked over to the tired fighters. Rukia jumped up and rushed to Ichigos' side. The older woman hung back as the broad shouldered man and two children came sauntering back into view. The man with five o'clock shadow on his shin spoke with the glasses boy, and offered to bandage him at the shop. Rukia helped Ichigo to stand, and was supported by his human doppelganger as well. They limped passed the store employees and their boss, and exited the park. As the tall man passed Corhana, he spoke up.

"Ah, I remember you from this morning. If you wouldn't mind humoring me, I could use someone to try out my new recipe."

The two children looked up at the dark skinned man and made gagging faces behind his back. Corhana saw their expressions but smiled nonetheless.

"That is if you still have an appetite?"

The woman glanced from the tall man to the kids and lastly to their boss.

The boss man raised one hand in a dramatic pose; a fan appeared between his fingers.

"It's always nice to have company over!" He said

Corhana nodded. "I wouldn't mind coming over, plus I'm really curious about your store. You'll have to tell me about it."

The striped hat man smiled behind his fan then snapped it closed.

"Wonderful, let's go."

With that the group of mismatched individuals stepped beyond the grassy field and back onto hard pavement. The sky darkened as the sun set on the horizon. Shadow stretched impossibly long, and mixed with other shadows to create a muted affect to the town.

* * *

**Please leave a review or PM me, I would really appreciate it.**

Bleach and it's fellow productions belong to Tite Kubo-san.


	7. Scene Six

Our world is many

Yet here is split by four

Human, as in living

An Afterlife, such as Soul Society

The Hollow grounds, like Hueco Mundo

Last but never mentioned

_Hell_

A place full of demons and their magic

* * *

**Act I: **_Scene Six_

At the weathered shop behind the main mall, Corhana sat at the guest table within the small dining room. The taller man, Tessai, lead the male student behind the counter to treat his arms. The young children had deposited their weapons in the storage room. The young girl came back with a smile on her face.

"Should I make some tea, sir?"

She looked to the sandy haired man, and he nodded back at her. The girl stepped out, and made her way to the hidden kitchen.

"Tell me, what is your connection to Rukia?"

"We're merely aquatinted; I simply met her a few days ago."

"Do you know her other friends?"

"No, but I saw them along the way."

"What do you know about soul reapers? Were you aware that Rukia is one?"

"Yes and yes, I can assure you I'm fully educated about the afterlife and hollows."

"Is that so? Surely then you were surprised to see the human children showcase such abilities as they did."

The little girl with pigtails entered carrying a tray covered with a tea set and one glass of milk. She slid it gently on the table surface and placed the empty cups in front of the adults. The man picked up the tea kettle and poured the steamed beverage into the cup in front of the woman. She thanked him and softly touched the rim of the sup. The little girl sat on a chair and grabbed her glass of milk.

"Well, it's not unheard of that humans gain spiritual powers. It tends to remain on the rare side." The woman looked first to the girl then back to the man and sipped her tea.

"You must be spiritually aware as well, take Ururu here for example." He pointed to and smiled at the girl, who looked up once curiously.

"She's spiritually aware, and can see spirits. She's fast on her feet and can shoot one nasty canon."

The little girl sipped her milk, and wiped the excess away before she could wear a milkstache.

The man rubbed his chin. "What about you then? Have you always been spiritually aware or harboring some kind of power?"

"Please, call me Corhana. And yes, I've always been sensitive to spiritual matters, that and I do possess special abilities."

The man adjusted his hat and the shadows lengthened over his eyes.

"More importantly I'm in town for a business trip."

"Ah, is there any way I can help? My name is Kisuke Urahara and I run a special kind of candy shop here. We could cater for small meetings."

"Huh, no. My contact and I won't be interested in candy…catering was it? Nope."

"Are you you're not interested in purchasing any candy, I noticed you come in this morning."

"True, but I didn't see you inside the shop. Were you stocking shelves or behind the camera?"

"No. It just so happens that your reiatsu woke me up, but then you disappeared. How did you do that so close to the shop?"

"I was just camping nearby."

Urahara rubbed at his chin with one hand.

"I wasn't aware you could set up a tent up at the park."

"No, Urahara, she means she slept at a hotel. Wait, are there hotels in town?" Ururu added

"There aren't hotels in Kurakura." Urahara confirmed and he looked at Corhana. She held the tea cup to her lips, but didn't drink from it. She shrugged then set the tea down.

Urahara slipped a fan out and waived it by his face, making hmm'ing sounds.

Then without warning the tall man from earlier poked his head into the room.

"Sir, I finished treating the boys' injuries. Would you look to send him off?"

"Of course, excuse me for a moment." The blonde stood up from his chair and headed for the front door. The thin boy with glasses had just slipped his shoes back on, then turned to look at the approaching man. They two exchanged words before Urahara waived the student off.

He came back into the guest room and sat back down. The woman had finished half her warm tea and Ururu was gathering her milk glass.

"I'll be back to clean here, sir, yeah?"

"Sure, kid, take your time." Urahara spoke

The little girl walked out of the room carrying her empty glass. Urahara turned to the woman and asked.

"If it's okay with your business, I can offer you free room and board. There's spare bedroom currently unoccupied."

"Oh, no thank you. I'll be fine on my own." Corhana stood up. "In fact, I'm expecting a call soon."

"A call this late? Wow, you must work hard for your company." He followed her as she stepped back into the shop.

Corhana stepped up to the exit and turned towards Urahara. "Not only that, but I'm loyal too. Thanks for the tea." She left the building, and turned the corner to exit the alley.

Corhana walked towards the main thorough fair, and honed in to the café on the corner.

She stepped to its front door and looked at the closed sign. She turned away from the café and looked around for a place to sit. As Corhana glanced up she spotted the sign advertising a small studio at the top level of the building. There was space between the wall and the sign that looked suitable for crouching. She crouched low to the ground and jumped onto the plank that propped the sign away from the building. She folded her legs off the edge of the structure, and stared down at the street level. A middle aged man passed underneath with a trash bag in hand. He dragged it one inch off the ground towards the dumpsters behind the stores. He came back around and returned to his establishment. Corhana sighed once and raised one palm above her forehead; she spoke three words of magic then swept down her hand in front of her. If anyone looked up at the studio above the café business, all they would see would be the 'Viva La Spudgy' sign mounted.

A tune sounded into the mid night air, and Corhana brought out her phone from the side of her bag. She looked at the call identification symbol then flipped it open to answer.

"Hello."

"Hey there champ, I got some bad news and good news." Otis began

"Give me the bad first." Corhana swung her left leg.

"Sure. Now, the things is, I don't know nothing about the past diseases that affected our

kind. However, my cousin would have references you'd want."

"And where can I get in touch with your cousin?"

"She's already on her way. I hope you don't mind that I mapped the local of our previous location?"

"You're okay."

"Good, she'll be walking into town. The humans would freak if they saw someone popping into thin air."

"Too true."

"You call me back if you need anything else, ya hear? Also if you stop by my bar call me by my human name, Bobby."

"Do the humans actually call you that?"

"Most of the time, if they're not falling off their stools."

"Ha, nice one. Farewell."

"Yeah, bye…"

Both callers closed their devices on each side of the line. Corhana reached back into her bag and deposited her phone.

She sat on the metal beam for the remainder of the night, and the stars spun in the navy sky. Hours passed as the sky blushed into light, with the sun become a prominent feature there. People came out of their homes and opened their shops. Believe it or not but the traffic from the train station diminished during morning hours. Most of the commuters were suit case men and coed university students. Early into the morning crowds of uniformed children were trekking their way to school. Everyone walked in a purposeful direction except for one individual.

The young adult was willowy in frame, on the tall side, and sported a small grin. This woman stopped her grin and looked about the shops in worry. Corhana jumped down from her perch and approached the newcomer. As she walked she snapped her fingers and the invisibility spell came off. The females stared at each other for a few seconds before Corhana pulled out her phone. She displayed a single symbol on her screen to the other girl and waited for her to react. The other female blinked once then quickly pulled out her own device; she smiled and showed Corhana her symbol.

"Few, sure was a cold walk up here. I had to make sure there wasn't any mud on my shoes."

Corhana looked down at her.

"I don't need to ask do I? Also, it never rained last night."

"Well, when I opened the portal to get here it was raining…Oh yeah, that was a different location completely. I forgot, oops."

The older woman nodded her head towards the café and turned towards it.

"Well, let's get to business. I assume you have some info for me?"

The other female nodded her answer and followed Corhana into the café. The scents of fresh bakery drifted in the air. A couple with a camera mounted in front of them sat in one corner, narrating their consumption of a unique pastry on their plates.

The two women sat in the comfy chairs by one window that faced the street.

"Can I order something?"

"Sure."

The younger woman stood and brought over a menu from the front counter. She flipped through it with procision and waived over the barista. She ordered her item then turned to Corhana.

"Shall we?" Corhana folded her hands on the table, elbows up.

"Oh yes, take a look here." She opened a lab top case and scrolled through a registry written in the demon language on a web page already loaded.

"First I'd like to say that I'm going to represent our group of demons that keep track of these things. Medical history and such. I already did a search for your query and compiled this data."

Corhana leaned towards the screen as the other female demon read from the puter.

"The human who had such knowledge about that disease died hundreds of years ago. This human studied medicine in Kyoto, and became a medical practitioner in Wakayama prefecture, located near Osaka. He came in contact with a demon from China that introduced him to this potion that numbed patients under surgery, created by a Chinese human named Hua Tuo: mafeisan. Hanaoka was intrigued when he learned about it and tried to recreate the compound beginning in 1785. What humans have not recorded is the demon who stayed by his side to assist him in his work."

She looked up at Corhana.

"Even when he died the demon stayed by his side and revealed itself to him. This knowledge almost made it impossible for him to cross over when a soul reaper found him. Hanaoka wanted to stay to watch over his apprentices and to learn more from the demon. However if the soul reaper became aware of the demon then Hanaoka would be in trouble and not allowed entry to the afterlife. So the demon pretended to be a hollow that was after Hanaoka, however we don't if the demon was killed by that soul reaper. Hanaoka was crossed over to the afterlife, and from there we don't have any information."

The barista returned with the order and placed it on the table, then returned to the coffee bar.

"So I wouldn't be able to find any descendants who kept records of his work?"

"Shutei Nakagawa, a close friend of Hanaoka, wrote a small pamphlet that described the current state of Hanaoka's research on general anesthesia in 1796. But the manuscript burnt in a fire in 1867."

Corhana pulled back her elbows from the table to hold her hands in her lap.

"If you were to go to the afterlife, then at least you have a small area to search in."

"That would be difficult; the rules of engagement are different there."

"The only way for you to travel to the afterlife is to find a soul reaper and follow them to the other side. Be careful though, soul reapers here are very efficient. They might notice your spiritual energy once you get close enough to a concentrated area of souls. Stay away from soul reapers and you should be able to go unnoticed."

* * *

**Please leave a review or PM me, I would really appreciate it.**

Bleach and it's fellow productions belong to Tite Kubo-san.


	8. Scene Seven

Our world is many

Yet here is split by four

Human, as in living

An Afterlife, such as Soul Society

The Hollow grounds, like Hueco Mundo

Last but never mentioned

_Hell_

A place full of demons and their magic

* * *

**Act I:** _Scene Seven_

After Corhana finished speaking with her comrade, the other female paid for her order and walked off. Corhana wondered the streets of the town as she searched for the girl like soul reaper seen days before. She walked the grid of the town and circled her way towards the center. Having failed to locate her target Corhana decided to visit the high school blocks away. This time the gates were closed, but not locked. No students roamed outside the main campus. Corhana stepped up to the gate and closed her eyes in concentration. Using her senses she felt around for varying spirit energies. Four spirit pressures felt off for a human, but a fifth one in particular felt otherworldly. The fifth signature stood off to one side of the campus, and was at a higher elevation. Corhana opened her eyes and walked along and around the wall to the right of the school. She entered a private garden, complete with flowers but no eatables. A chain linked fence marked the end of a field behind the school. Corhana looked up at the wall of the school, and shielded her eyes as she spotted a lone figure sitting on the roof. A uniformed student was sitting on the fenced edge of the rooftop. Corhana stepped back so the sun could shadow the student. Rukia was this student, out of class and looked sad. Her side was to the railing and she seemed to sigh a lot, her shoulders tense.

Corhana watched as the soul reaper stare at the school building. Then the girl stood up and exited the roof, and entered the roof access door to the stairs. After the reaper disappeared Corhana walked back to street level and covered one block before she stopped to stand in the shadow of a house. Hours later students were released into the afternoon. The kids she saw days earlier walked a few meters past her. Corhana stepped through a neighborhood to parallel their path. Everyone now and then she spotted them from between houses, alleys, or through a field. She continued to follow them as the group grew smaller, until only the reaper and orange headed boy approached their home.

The pair entered the house and Corhana stopped to stare at it. Night approached so she decided to stand a house over as to not be seen. She walked between houses and headed towards the wall that made part of the path that connected two neighborhoods. Corhana leaned against the wall at the entrance to the alley. She pushed the air in front of her with both palms faced down, as if to separate energy from her body. Corhana spoke words of magic and concealment as her hands moved down. The air quivered around her before her entire body became only an impression in the faded light. There Corhana stood as she gazed towards the Kurosaki home. At one point two younger girl, unlike each other in hair color, stepped out and back in again with bags of grocery items. Hours after the sun hid; the stars blinked open. Clouds here and there swept across the inky horizon.

A door opened in the Kurosaki home, and the soul reaper stepped out. Corhana heard the door open, and sensed Rukia walk out onto the street. Corhana glanced around the corner and spotted the reaper as she ran across an intersection. Corhana didn't shed the invisibility spell this time and followed after the girl. Together they ran past neighborhoods, one mall, and a playground. Once Rukia stopped on the pavement, and looked behind her. Corhana would stop moving herself, and remained still. Rukia continued moving and her stalker continued. The female reaper had the habit of talking to herself in low tones, although what she muttered made no sense. Out from the air a single blade flew at Rukia. She dodged the attack and exclaimed her surprise at who she saw perched on the telegraph lines. A man in black garb sneered down at her as he admonished her facial expressions. Another male reaper stood a few feet away from the first, silver ornaments in his hair and a bored expression on his face. More words were exchanged and then the first speaker lunged at Rukia from above. Corhana remained a good distance from the battle, and kept an eye trained on the other man. A few tense minutes later the female reaper fall to the ground, her energy reserves depleted. Before her attacker could strike again a blue arrow of fire swept across the air to disrupt the blow. Corhana had to step to the side to avoid him from bumping into her, and now Ishida stood with his weapon poised and ready. Rukia's opponent questioned this newcomer, and the young student answered in kind. The two of them started fighting, with no clear winner until the boy suffered a nasty cut to the shoulder. He was about to be finished off by the man in black and the long sword, until a new spiritual presence burned in the space around them.

There he stood, with his sword propped on one shoulder and determination on his face. Ichigo stood in front of Corhana, having jumped fence to stand on street level. The attacker ground at words at the red head, and the boy reaper returned with his reply. Rukia tensed on the ground as Ishida walked towards her, yet her distress was due to Ichigo's arrival on the scene. Ichigo wore the soul reaper uniform and this cemented the attackers' notions of fault. Ichigo blocked a few attacks aim to split his body in two before one slash open his shoulder from the joint to his collarbone. Ichigo froze a few seconds to deal with the shallow wound on his side, and then set his mouth in a grimace. His attacker complimented him on his survival in the fight so far, only to attack again. The young boy found new strength to battle and elevated his aura; it seemed he could soon overpower his opponent. Just as he was about to swing, the man with decorated hair stepped to Ichigo's side. Shock splashed on the boys' face as the holder man stepped further away. Blood rushed from two holes in Ichigo's body, and crumbled to the ground. Rukia cried out to him and found the will to rush to his prone form on the stained ground, but the first fighter held her firmly by a nearby pole. She tried again to reach the fallen boy but her capture held her tight and warned not to touch the dying kid. Ichigo then reached out a hand to grab fabric of his slasher's clothing. The man didn't bother to look down, just warned.

"Let go."

But Ichigo continued, "I can't hear you. Look at me when you talk." He was then threatened with amputation of his arm.

Then Rukia had a change of heart and released herself from the hold she was in then went to kick the boys' hand away. The boy gave her this pained stare.

"Filthy human... How dare a filthy human seize brother's uniform! Know your place boy!"

The absurdity of the situation didn't register with Ichigo as he watched Rukia start to pair off with her past attackers. He questioned in a strained voice what she was doing, and Rukia replied to him in a whisper to never think of coming to her rescue for she would never forgive him.

Corhana watched on as a portal was opened in mid-air and the three obvious soul reapers stepped into it. She walked towards the closing portal, stopped, then looked back at the fallen student. The other boy looked across the space to where she stood, seeing through her to the fading portal. Corhana returned her gaze to the space in front of her and raised both hands to the air. She felt around with the tips of her fingers to the tear in the fabric of space, or any residual energy left by the soul reapers. A small snag caught one finger and she tugged at it. With both hands now she pried open the crackling wrinkle in reality and expanded it to grant her entry. Corhana entered an earthen tunnel, and began walking forward as the portal closed behind her with a snap. Meters ahead the three reapers walked; the young girl with her head bowed. A butterfly flew ahead of the trio as it led them to the afterlife. Corhana followed the reapers to the exit of the tunnel, and paused as they left to the world beyond. She waited for them to completely vanish before she too disappeared from the tunnel. Outside the portal the reapers stood ahead of her. The window in space closed, like cracked glass mending itself in seconds. She walked out then immediately made for the wall to her right, never taking her eyes off the reapers nearby. She ran to where the wall met tiles jutted out and jumped onto the roof of the small structure. Corhana crouched low and spent seconds to see if anybody had noticed her unscheduled arrival. Having established that she was undetected, she stepped along the building and crossed another wall that led further into a cramped street. Men and woman in black uniforms walked in small groups into the main thoroughfare. Corhana avoided their site by sneaking by the narrow alleys that were threaded around the main path. She came upon a bend in the street and turned left, and glanced up at the nearby buildings. The one story structures here had short and squat roofs. Corhana returned her gaze to the roofs around her time after time while remaining out of site.

Thirty four miles into soul society and she rounded upon a wall the stretched for hundreds of meters in two directions. She dragged one hand on a wall as she followed it to an open gate. A small group of people crowded around it, its doors spread open. Half of the individuals sported hopeful expressions while the others looked downcast. They all held packets of paper in their hands, arms or just in shoulder bags. Entrance exams had already taken place to train the new soul reapers. These nine future students were on the wait list as they finished the entrance exams weeks later before the deadlines. Move in day hadn't come around yet so a number of applicants were allowed entry to the academy. The group had woken up early to trek to the academy entrance for new students. Corhana removed her hand from the hall to shield her eyes from the bright sun coming through the gates. She lowered her arm and swept a look around the crowd in front of her. She maneuvered close to the nine students and peeked into the gate; two stone faced her men in uniform puffed their shoulders as they blacked the portal.

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Bleach and it's fellow productions belong to Tite Kubo-san.


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